Virtual Roller Coaster Offers Thrills But Not Spills

The tension builds as you climb that first hill. Then you take what looks like a straight vertical plunge into eternity. ...

And during the next four minutes the track hooks, dips and swoops so fast you feel as if it left your body behind.

But there is one big difference between the Rattler and most other roller coasters: It isn't really there.

The Rattler is a "virtual" roller coaster in a trailer on the west side of the Museum of Discovery & Science, 401 SW Second St. in Fort Lauderdale. Like "Body Wars" at Epcot and "Back to the Future" at Universal Studios in Orlando, this is a simulated ride, a movie that you watch from seats that move.

The hydraulics, which are in the leather-cushioned seats inside the trailer, work the same way as the simulated rides at the Orlando theme parks. The seats create the illusion of movement through hydraulic sensors, which rock, shift and jostle riders in sync with what they see and hear on the giant movie screen.

The four-minute movie is of the real Rattler, an old-fashioned wooden roller coaster at the Six Flags/Fiesta Texas theme park in San Antonio.

People who would never dream of getting on that or any other real coaster probably have enough stomach for this ride. Tatianna Vassilopoulos, 10, rode Space Mountain at Disneyland last year and got sick. But a friend coaxed her into taking the simulated ride while visiting the Museum of Discovery on Tuesday. She came out of the trailer all smiles.

"It wasn't scary," she said.

On a virtual coaster, you hear the rattle of the tracks and the roar of the cars, but glide over all the bumps. Hoogstad said the simulated ride was tamer than the real thing but also easier on your stomach.

"I've been on the road with it for six months, and nobody's puked," Hoogstad said.

The Rattler, which will be at the Museum of Discovery through Jan. 5, costs $3 for adults and $2 for children.